Khushbu Sundar’s daughter Avantika Sundar had to wait for her debut due to her height, parents refused to launch her: ‘Asked my mom to atleast connect me to…’

Talking about coming from a film family, she said, “I think it would be wrong of me not to acknowledge that I have a leg up in the film industry thanks to who my parents are. Asking my mom to at least connect me with industry people is what I can do.”

While she emphasised her desire to carve her own path, Avantika admitted that it would be wrong to ignore the head start her lineage provides her. “My parents didn’t offer to launch me either. The thought is that I should do it on my own and, I do want to make it on my own. But yes, I do need help with getting connected to people since I have that advantage. And it would be wrong of me to say that I did it on my own – it wouldn’t be possible without their support,” she said.

Avantika studied acting in London and believes drama school helped her prepare not just for the craft, but also for the pressures that come with being a star kid. “The one thing my parents did talk to me about was the fact that there would be a lot of scrutiny because of who they are. And I think that’s completely fair, and I am prepared for that. The main reason I went to drama school was to be prepared for that level of scrutiny,” she said.

Avantika also admitted that she can’t escape from being compared to her parents but expressed how she just wants to give her best shot. “I do have that thought in my mind. But I can’t say that I’ll be as successful or more than them. I sure can hope and try my very best, and hopefully, I get there. Don’t get me wrong, I am terrified of failing. I am. But I’ve been lucky where I’ve grown up with friends and family where they say if you’ve tried your best and to the best of your abilities, then that’s all that’s important,” she said.

She added that her height — Avantika stands tall at 5’11” — was a concern as she didn’t fit the typical ‘mould’ of an actress. “I waited a long time to make my acting debut because of my height. I was very conscious of the fact that I was really tall, and I didn’t necessarily fit into that ‘mould’ of how an actress should look. As a teenager, I used to be frumpy, a little overweight and wore specs. And I used to look at all these beautiful actresses on screen and felt I would fail,” she recalled, adding that after an injury during the pandemic she decided to become the best version of herself.